


Lines By Heart

by Kagemihari (soracia)



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-06-20
Updated: 2005-06-20
Packaged: 2017-10-24 09:30:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/261817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soracia/pseuds/Kagemihari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinji knows all of his lines by heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lines By Heart

**Author's Note:**

> A morning ritual. sap, sap, and more sap, and also fluff and warm fuzzies. Generally unsafe. ;P

A deep, quiet voice spoke next to his ear, waking him as a kiss brushed feather light on his cheek.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Shinji frowned sleepily and turned his head, not bothering to actually roll over, and blinked at the owner of the voice. "'M not beautiful," he mumbled, as he did every morning, and like every other morning, he got merely a chuckle in response, another kiss and fingers in his hair. Well, he couldn't really complain about that, but... beautiful! Not him. That was...such a girly word, and anyway, it sounded weird coming from Tachibana-san, even if he did say it in that deep rumbly voice of his that made it sound like it meant something else altogether. Something not at all girly, but just right. But still...

"You're laughing at me again," Shinji grumbled.

"Mhmm," was the amused response, along with a strong arm wrapping around him, pulling him close, and Shinji looked at his boyfriend exasperatedly. This, of course, was part of the script, the daily morning argument. Shinji knew all of his lines by heart, and sometimes, when it was quiet and he was thinking by himself, he practiced them -- so he wouldn't forget any, not ever. Not that he could really forget when it happened every day; but someday he might, he thought, and he didn't want to, so he practiced.

"Girls are beautiful, Kippei, and I'm not a girl even if I do have long hair, that doesn't make me a girl. And I'm not cute, either," he added quickly, scowling, because he had learned ages ago that if he didn't forestall that remark, the next comment would be to that effect.

Instead Kippei laughed again, that deep throaty chuckle that was somehow so warm, like listening to sunshine. "I know you're not a girl," he assured Shinji with a lazy smile and a note of wryness in his voice, and Shinji smiled, because Kippei was very well acquainted with that fact and they both knew it. But it was part of the script, as were the next few lines that did not apply.

"I dunno why you keep saying that then, I'm not a girl and I'm not beautiful so you shouldn't say that, because I'm not." Shinji nodded, as if confirming the logic of this, and then frowned suspiciously because Kippei was still smiling, as he always did--and all of that, too, was part of the script.

"I think you are," was all he said, and his hands were as warm as his smile and his eyes. Shinji opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find an answer; because no matter how well he knew his lines, no matter how much he practiced, that part still made him feel warm and gooey inside, made him blush in spite of himself and he always had trouble remembering what came next, except that it started with the silly, stupid smile he couldn't help.

"I know," he answered softly, because that was what made it okay, that was what made it true, even if Shinji didn't think so; Kippei did. And Shinji did know that, had come to believe it after hearing it so many times, and now it was just a reminder, a game they played every morning, and maybe he didn't really need it anymore but he would miss it if they didn't, and Kippei still always said it and Shinji wasn't about to stop him.

So every morning he gave the same answers and got the same replies and it was nice, to have it always the same, to hear it even if he knew it already. And it was his turn now to lean up and kiss Kippei, a good morning kiss and a thank you kiss and an I love you kiss, all at the same time.

Because he knew, because Kippei told him every morning. _Good morning, beautiful._ And it always was.


End file.
